How do you hold yourself accountable?

I ASK MYSELF EVERYDAY: ARE YOU BEING HONEST WITH YOURSELF HAVE YOU SPENT MORE ENERGY OUT THAN TAKEN IN. DO THE DAILY TRACKERS. READ OTHERS BLOGS TO HELP ME BE MORE HONEST WITH MYSELF AND REMAIN MOTIVATED. COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS DAILY ABOUT MY GOALS AND MY PROGESS.

It was always very easy for me to come up with excuses "its too late to go walk tonight", "i can make up for this cookie(s) tomorrow with more exercise" (which was usually followed by the "its too late to go walk tonight" excuse).. So..to make myself accountable I took a class. Not at a gym, but at the college I work at. They pay for 2 classes a semester and we get time off work to go take classes. If i dont go to class and fail then I have to pay them back..I DONT want to do that! So I HAVE to go to class and do good in it. I took Jogging this semester and my teacher has been great! He has totally SHOVED me outside my comfort zone by making us run through campus and around town (in full view of allllll the young college students). This in turn makes me exercise even more on the days Im not in class so that I can do better (and not look so clumsy and out of shape) when I am in class. Its been great! If I slip into a "I dont care mood" then tough! I gotta go anyway! And Ive signed up for next semester also!

I blog, and I also put notes around my house to keep me focused. I read the daily sayings and post them on my sons door for him to enquire about then we talk about what they mean and how talking helps me stay on track. If i start ti feel like I do not want to workout I make myself do it then when I am done I feel great because I worked through it.

I'm sorry you are slipping in to that mood. But thank you for asking this question because there are a lot of great ideas that I'm thinking about adding to my arsenal.

I have those moods sometimes but less frequently than in the past. I try to put up lots of lines of defense because what works one day doesn't the next time. Many of my lines of defense are what has been already noted. (Prepped healthy snacks, appointments, lots of planning helps put me in over drive so I don't have to think to be successful when things are tough, sometimes faking it until I make it, asking for help, Sparking, blogging, journalling, etc. ) One big thing that keeps me going is my goals. I'm not talking about my weight loss goals...it's more the things I will be able to do or do better, or the rewards. I have a vision collage that I look at most every day that helps keep me focused and reminded about what is important and why.

Hang in there and don't give up. It's getting past the "I do not care" mood that will really make you strong!

For me, getting me out of I dont care mode is being honest with my food tracker. I used to fudge the numbers to hide the fact that i had exttra chocolate or too much sour cream on my potato. But Then I realized the only person losing was myself. Making the numbers look good on paper doesnt mean they didnt go into my body! Its been a process and I still have days when I want to not add something for fear of what I will see. But it also makes me think twice about putting it in my body in the first place! Remember that it is a process. Having the occasional day when you splurge or get a little carried away, just dont beat yourself up about it and keep going with the healthy habits the next day.

The 1.44 oz. bar each week is my salvation, it keeps me from eating the "other" stuff. Knowing I am going to get to eat part of that bar each day keeps me on the program! Well, that and knowing when I've lost the required weight to have ankle replacement surgery early next year, then I can wear normal shoes again for the first time in 12 years! Oh shoot, maybe it isn't the chocolate that is the driving factor after all. LOL

Show your daughter your Food Tracker for last week and show her how you accounted for that bar and when, she will understand and not bug you so much when she can see what you're doing....she may even be more supportive! You'll get there....you have all of us behind you pushing too.

Great topic! my daughter tries to hold me accountable, but she doesn't really understand the idea of fitting in "bad" foods along with the good. So she'll chastise me for eating the dove chocolate I'd carefully planned for as an end of day treat... lol!

I didn't sign up for Spark Coach when I signed up and sort of wished I did....but I do use the tools daily. Since I am so busy between working, school, and taking care of my parents, I rarely cook until the weekends for the meals for us for the next week....that is when I take out all the recipes I've collected from SparkRecipes and I get my shopping list and fix all the good tasting food I'll need (as will my parents) for the next week. I cut up veggies and bag up snacks, plan out my meals for the following week and I try to stick to my daily plan of what to eat.

Don't get me wrong, I falter when I'm itching for something sweet or I'm having a bad day, but nothing like I used to be. Writing things down and seeing how much I actually eat really keeps me in line. Another thing is when I can get into a shirt or a dress that used to show too much "bulge" before and now looks better, that encourages me. I don't need someone to notice every day, but to see a co-worker's appreciative glance, or someone say "hey, it looks like you've lost a few pounds" also helps every once and a while.

One area I struggle with completely is exercise...I am on the go from no later than 7:00 a.m. until almost 9:00 p.m. and when I get home. At that hour, I don't want to do a structured exercise program. Considering that I walk a lot during the day, I use a pedometer; and that I'm bending over and reaching a lot at various times especially in the evening, I put in some physical labor, but just cannot judge what exercises they would be. I figure if I can see the flab going away and a bit of muscle tone developing, I'm doing pretty good.

Most of all, I like to see my little angel (or faerie) at the bottom of the page announce another pound or a few more ounces LOST! So my friends, that how I keep myself accountable....I rely on ME, because I'm the only one that can do what needs to be done to lose the weight!

When I joined SparkPeople and signed up for SparkCoach, I determined it would be a commitment in continuing education so I treat it like I would a college class. Time, energy, everything. I use the trackers for fitness, water and nutrition.

I remind myself why I am doing this and focus on setting daily achievable goals. I feel a sense of accomplishment knowing that I accomplished what I set out to do that day and I usually do better each day because I've planned for it in advance. I also find that keeping accountable to my sparkfriends helps. I post daily in one of my sparkteams and I post daily on my blog. Somehow putting these goals out there for all to see makes me feel as though I need to get them done.

By being seen. If someone at the post office or the gas station says, " I haven't seen you at the gym." THAT makes me accountable more than anything else. I never like hearing it so it makes me accountable. In a small town when someone reminds you by saying, "where ya been?" It puts you back in check real quick.

I found a small Spark group with people who are all along the weight loss track - some have lost 100 pounds and some like me are just getting going - then I turn up every day for my group, huddle with them, write comments, cheer them on, it's beeen wonderful, I know I need them and just checking in every day makes me accountable. Sometimes I smile when I change out a bagel for a banana or something and I can't wait to tell everyone that I did it! It's been great.

I have begun to stay accountable by joining SP and being honest online about my weight. I joined in September and have lost 15 pounds so far. I realize this is not as much weight as a lot people post but it is my reality. I don't diet but try to eat more sensibly and avoid sweets. My husband has recently been diagnosed with diabetes so keeping sweets out of the house is now a necessity on both fronts. Admitting my weight online has worked wonders for my accountability. Let's hope I loose another 15 pounds by Christmas. The only sad thing about my weight loss so far? No one has noticed yet, guess when you are fat you have to go the extra mile before someone takes note! Bonnie E.

The spark phone app keeps me be accountable. I punch EVERYTHING I eat in there, and I have decided not to cheat, if I eat it it's recorded. I tried to be accountable by telling friends and family, but that did not seem to work with me. I would continue to sabotage myself by proving to them that I would fail at this diet also. I had to be responsible enough to myself to stop lying to myself, and have the courage enough to truthfully be responsible to only myself, since my own mouth was the one that got me fat in the first place, there was no encouragement to eat what I did over the years, no persuasion to continue until I ate all the pie, nor was there any force that made me continue to eat past the full stage. I am accountable ONLY to me, myself, and I.

It became really easy to stay accountable when I decided to make my journey public through Facebook and through video blogging.

Now my friends and family all know about my goals and how hard I am working and when I publically state that I'm doing something and I don't do it, I know people are going to ask about it. It's a very scary move but it's DEFINITELY keeping me accountable!

I have a friend in the city I just moved from who I used to walk with. Now, we hold each other accountable through text messages and phone calls. So, I purpose to text her first before she texts me to let her know that I did workout!

Tracking is one way to be accountable. The only time tracking takes a back seat is when there is greater accountability (tracking is just as important, . . it just takes 2nd place). I just finished a fitness challenge in a small town newspaper. For 8 weeks, 4 of us submitted weekly photos and a small blog of our adventure. When the whole town watches your progress, it is incredible as perfect strangers will mention that they have read about your progress.(humbling if not embarrassing). I went from 231.8 to 204.4 pounds in 8 weeks (27.4 pounds)

Let as many people as you can know about your attempts. Be accountable to the real people in your life and give them licence to keep you accountable.

SPUNSILK237: Ditto on the food tracker being too embarrassing to make public. That's a future goal, maybe. I did make my fitness tracker visible.

This is a sticky subject with me. I am SO into doing things because I enjoy them. I am changing the way I eat and how active I am because it makes me feel so much better, and I enjoy that. Accountability? It's coming slowly for me. I have started using my status and blogging. That helps keep me honest. On the not so stellar days logging in, spinning the wheel, and updating my status reaffirm the attitude, "I am not quitting. I am still about making changes and learning to live healthy." It also gives me perspective on things that happen that, if it were just me inside my little mind, would be discouraging. Writing about the "stuff" of everyday life helps me to find the humor in the situation. Sometimes I stop and admit,"Wow, I wouldn't have handled it this way 6 months ago." And I really enjoy that.

Every time someone responds to a message board post, or a blog, or an update I feel held accountable. I know I'm not in this alone.

Several years ago I worked for a company that gave us the opportunity to sign up for on-line health and wellness coaches. That turned out to be code for "weight loss and fitness." Crafty huh?

During my first session, the coach (who was an absolute rockstar) asked a really simple question, "do you want to lose weight?" I responded with something like, "oh no, I just want to be healthier, more fit." She waited a beat, then another, then just asks, "really?" I break down at this point and say something like everytime I diet, I end up gaining weight because I think about food all the time, life becomes an exercise in frustration and anxiety, and it just wasn't worth it. Further, I really don't care about losing weight.

Dang, she doesn't respond for a second or two, then once again in a very sweet voice, "Really?" Pesky do-gooder. With less then five minutes worth of conversation, she helped me realize that every time I said, "I don't care," it really meant almost the exact opposite and was in fact something I cared very much about. She was the person who recommend SparkPeople to me. She also helped me change some behaviors and stop being so hard on myself (me being from the school of thought that says, "anything worth doing, is worth doing RIGHT" and right is almost always the most difficult approach. Sometimes good enough is really good enough.).

Anyway (sorry for the long-winded note), when I catch myself thinking or saying, "I don't care" I stop and think about whether that is really true. It usually is not because if I didn't care, I wouldn't even bother to think it. Holding myself accountable is not code for "beat myself up" it means acknowledging a mistake and immediately working at some corrective action no matter how small it might be.

If I've totally blown the food plan for the day, I might just start marching in place for a few minutes, or sit down and try to write down what I'm thinking and how I can change my thoughts going forward. Something quick, something that will help me not spiral. Personally, I've had the tendancy to continue to overeat once I think, "oh boy, blew that ... oh well, might as well have thirds." I hold myself accountable for recognizing when I've crossed the line, not bother to make excuses, and just start (even if only babysteps) to get back on track.

Just by posting the question, you show you're really trying to handle the challenges that come along with lifestyle changes. Good luck to you! Actually, it's more like Good Persistence to you because it's persistence that will help you more than luck (grin).

Hi! I also enjoy "do not care mode". But I can motivate myself by visualizing and remembering; Why am I doing this? (usual answer is good health, already come so far, like laundry, fitness is never truly "done").

The hardest part is getting started. I like to make lists and check things off. This works for me. I like earning the points on SparkPeople to show my progress. I also have my weight tracker showing - this keeps me responsible. My food tracker is too embarrassing. Having that be visible is a longer term goal.

I think its habit and we get lazy that makes us not care , we actually "do" care..When we have been off track for a year (or how ever long ) and then try to get back on track , well its hard. Its much easier to go back to how we were and our body says so too. But if we work hard and keep up the good work, soon our bodies adjust and it becomes easier .So just keep on doing the right thing and you won't be sorry, but if you listen to you and you body right now "you will be sorry "..

I like to set goals and work on projects. Once I framed the whole fat loss and fitness problem as a project with clear goals, I was set. I already have several projects that I work on, this is just one more.

Hi Joy, I am struggling with the same issue. This is what I am doing today.

I am going through this web site and am copying pages that seem inspirational to me. I am putting together my own journal to try to help me get motivated and to stay motivated.

The sun is out, I plan to go for a walk soon. I will reward this behavior with a nice fruit salad for lunch: lettuce, peaches, cranberries, walnuts, and a limited amount of rasp vin dressing. Yum... Throw out the bad stuff- give it to the squirrels, birds, or our raccoon friends.

Thank God for another beautiful day and pray for strength in fighting this life threatening battle. I feel your frustration and will pray for you.

After learning of a serious heart condition, I decided I HAD to make a CHANGE!! Don't wait until this happens to you! I started with Curves 3x per week, then took advantage of a class called "Eat Right Move Right" offered via my health plan. Seeing my coach at Curves, who tracks my progress once a month, keeps me accountable. Seeing my leader at the class, where there is a weigh-in twice a month, keeps me accountable. Every meeting of the class we have to set a goal for the next time period, and at each class we turn in our goal sheet from the previous class. I am hoping that, after I've done this for a year, I will have some good habits. The best thing that happened was, my leader at class showed us Spark People on the web as a way to track our food and exercise! This has provided a way that I can keep myself accountable to ME long after the class is over. Oh, and by the way, my husband has noticed and he is starting to take an interest in calorie values of foods and buy fewer snacks (he is the grocery shopper for the family). And he goes for walks and to the pool with me. This is a big change and a good predictor for future success.

1. Realizing There is a Problem: You have already taken the first step by realizing that you keep slipping into an "I don't not care mood". This is at least half the problem for most people as they tend to either not realize that there is a problem or they ignore the problems and issues hoping that they will either just go away or that the problem will magically just fix itself. 2. Asking for Help: Then, you took another important step by asking for suggestions/ideas about how others have found out how to be responsible and hold oneself accountable. Again, this is a difficult step for most people as they think that they should be able to "fix" things themselves. 3. Creating a Road Map: Now, you have to make a list of all of the suggestions and try one or two methods at a time until you find ones that work for you. Make sure that what ever you are trying aligns with the goals that you have set for yourself and that your goals are realistic, are measurable and have deadlines or milestones set; so that you are able to focus on smaller steps on your journey towards your goals. You have a lot of options but they will not do you any good if you just think about them...you actually have to make a plan and take action. 4. Just Do It Until It's a Part of You: Additionally, I have always found that you "fake it" until you make it. In other words, just do it--whatever it is. Exercise, track your foods, etc. until it becomes a habit (it usually takes 21 days to develop a new "habit". 5. Find an Accountability Buddy: And, finally continue to ask for support of others by having an accountability buddy.

Sometimes it is just easier to move forward when you are finding that you would rather not do something if there is someone else that is counting on you to exercise with them, track food results with them or just check in with them on your daily ups/downs!

It may not be easy and may be a matter of trial and error but it comes down to trying different approaches until you find things that work for you. You can get suggestions from friend, family and fellow sparkpeople but it always comes down to does it work for you as it may work great for someone else but it is only meaningful if it makes a difference to you.

So, get out there and just start doing one thing that you know you need to do until it becomes a "habit". Then, start doing one more thing that you know you need to do...soon you have a whole list of new good habits and it won't seem like such a chore to life your life daily with healthier lifestyle choices.

Wishing you all the best as you travel on your daily journey towards a healthier and happier you. You can do it--just keep moving forward towards your goals.

In addition to fitness appointments at classes that are on the calendar, I have friends to meet for jogging/walking and sometimes swimming. There have been a lot of 6 AM runs in the dark, cold rain when my partner or I said, "I wouldn't be here if you weren't here."

I also have a "sugar buddy" where we report to each other in our sugar intake (per teaspoon). We both have trouble with eating too much sugar. We measure portion sizes (one serving of ice cream is only 1/2 cup!), and keep track of how many cookies or other treats we eat.

Also, each year from October 1-30, we have a "No Sugar Month" where my friend and I cut out all sugary treats from our diet. No candy, cookies,pie, ice cream, donuts, etc. are allowed for those days! It is hard! We each lose 4-6 pounds, and have more energy at the end of the month!

I make a PLAN and I keep tweaking it until it is working for me. Some things I do include keeping healthy food MORE available, more convenient, and more tasty than unhealthy stuff. I also don't deprive myself of ANYTHING I enjoy eating. I cut down on portion sizes (snack size mini candy bars, mini-sized cookies, small bananas rather than BIG bananas, portion-size packing so I am less tempted to eat too many, etc.), cut down on frequency (once a week for some things, once every couple of weeks for others), and try to find alternatives that I like just as well as the original (Brazil nuts are a super treat for me INSTEAD of peanuts or cashews - I can eat one or two and be satisfied while I find myself eating a whole lot more than a single portion of the others, my son has discovered that sunflower seeds satisfy him and make a good alternative to chips). I also have found that if I keep these healthy, portion-controlled, tasty snacks around in the places where I am most likely to eat or crave something unhealthy, I am likely to choose what I have handy and convenient rather than going after the chips or whatever - especially since the are NOT kept in my house so I have to go out to BUY them. My plan isn't perfect and I am patient when I make choices that I later regret but I don't let them stop me from TRYING to improve my healthy eating.

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